Cultural Engagement in London Schools research

'Cultural engagement in London schools: key messages from the rapid evidence assessment' was published in June 2012 by the National Foundation for Educational Research on behalf of A New Direction.The report explores the evidence for the extent, motivations and barriers relating to cultural engagement in London schools.

Key findings of the assessment include:

the extent of cultural engagement differs from school to school, and cultural organisations' work with London schools is patchy and fragmented

schools are motivated to engage with the cultural sector by a desire to develop young people’s positive attitudes towards the arts and culture, and to raise their aspirations; as well as to develop creative and cultural learning in the school, and raise the school's profile

to encourage schools' engagement, clear communication from cultural organisations is vital, setting out the quality and relevance of their offer and how it fits with schools' needs, and the benefits of engaging with their offer

senior leadership support is also crucial, as is having a key member of staff enthusiastic about leading this area of the school's work

barriers to schools' cultural engagement include organising and timetabling activities, costs, transport, and lack of clear information about the cultural opportunities available.

The review raises areas for further discussion including the need to: build a coherent vision of the value and benefits of cultural engagement, strengthen how cultural organisations communicate their offer to schools, and consider the kinds of brokerage and bridge roles that would support schools to engage with cultural organisations.

The research was instigated by A New Direction in partnership with the Mayor of London and Arts Council England.